Pibe-extingtjtshincr appabattts



O. R. ERWIN.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. :2. 1920.

a Q Q 9 OrlandoEE'rwim Patented Nov. 28, 1922 F'AUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORLANDO R. ERWIN, OF FOREST HILLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FOAMITE-CHILDS CORPORATIONQ OF NEW YORK, N. Y.', A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 12, 1920. Serial No. 423,510.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO R. ERWIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Forest Hills, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire extinguishing apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus of the type wherein chemical solutions are stored and are adapted to be comixed to produce a fire extinguishing foam, and has special reference to the provision of a novel container for storing and mixing the said solutions.

It has been found desirable in apparatus of the type referred to, to provide a'container which shall be of simple construction, which shall involve no moving parts within the container in order to eliminate all chances offailure to operate, which shall provide for solution containers substantially sealed to eliminate evaporation and substantially splash-proof to facilitate handling of the extinguisher {and which shall embody a construction yielding simplicity in both the charging and discharging operations,such construction to be made of the fewest of parts to provide a relatively inexpensive fire fighting unit.

The principal objects of the present invention therefore involve, in addition to the provision of the container having these characteristics, the provision of a portable container adapted to be operated by inverting the container, the said container being subdivided into distinct solution-and mixing chambers, involving simplicity of parts in construction; the provision of such a container permltting an efficient flow by gravity of the solutions into the mixing chamber.

and the provision of simple and efficient equalizing pressure means FtSSOClZLlJP/Cl WIiJh such a subdivided container.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and, such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be defined in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of my invention and in which Figure l is an elevational view in cross section of my container,

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View of line 2-2, Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view'of line 33, Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of line 4=-&, Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the/outer surface of the container comprises preferably a cylindrical body 5, having'integrally formed therewith cylindrical end supporting sections 6 and 7, these sections adapted to be supported on any surface, with the apparatus either in erect or inverted position. The container is provided preferably with a dished portion 8 forming the bottom thereof, this portion being connected to the interior surface of the body portion 5 in any suitable manner, as by brazing at 9. The container is provided with a dome portion 10 comprising the top of the container, said dome portion being also connected to the interior surface of the body portion of the container in any suitable manner, as by brazing at 11, this dome portion being provided with apertures for charging and discharging purposes. Fitted in the discharging aperture is a nozzle 12, connected in any desirable way with the dome, as by brazing flange portion 13 of said nozzle to the interior surface of the dome.

Means is provided for permitting charging of the container, which consists preferably of a thimble 14 having an outwardly directed flange portion 15 connected to the interior surface of the dome, as by being bra-zed thereto, said thimble being provided also with a threaded neck 16 on which is screwed an internally threaded'cap 17, a gasket 18 being preferably provided between the cap and the thimble to secure an efficient closure.

It has been found that an eflicient apparatus of this nature should contain, besides the solution chambers, a separate mixing chamber communicating with the solution chambers, so that the effective generated foam may be discharged directly from the mixing chamber without further encountering the solutions in transit. The container is therefore subdivided into three chambers comprising two solution chambers and a mixingbhamber. The container may be thus subdivided in any desired manner, the preferred way being shown in the drawings in whiclris provided a partition preferably in the forniof 'a' disk 19, connected to the interior surface of the cylindrical portion of the container in any desired manner. as-

.the A or acid solution, being fitted to the disk 19 in any suitable manner, as by brazing an'internally directed flange portion of the compartment to the bottom surface of said disk as at 28, this compartment dividing the body portion into the A. or acid chamber and the ,B or base chamber 21.. In order to provide for an ellicient flow of the solutions from the solution chambers 21 and 22 into the mixing chamber 20, means is provided for equalizing the pressure of the generated foam on the solutions in the said chamber, said means consisting preferably of equalizing pressure pipes 24and 25, providing communicating means between the mixing chamber the said solution chambers. The equalizing pressure pipes 24 and 25 are preferably connected as shown in the drawings to the disk 19 in any desirable manner, as by soldering or brazing, these equalizing pressure pipes in the preferred form extending to thebottom of the respec tive solution chambers so that upon inversion of the apparatus the foam generated in the mixing chamber will expandand move up the full length of the pipes'into the then top of the solutionchambers' and provide an equalizing pressure on the top surface of said solutions tocounteract the pressure of the foam in the mixing chamber on the solutions entering through thesolution outlets.

Means is provided preferably for supporting the equalizing pressure pipe 25, which consists in a supporting bracket 26 fixed to the interior surface of the container 5 near its bottom, saidpipe beingalso preferably connected as by brazing to. the bottom portion of compartment 22, asshown at 27.

The solution containers 2land 22 constructed in this manner ,are substantially sealed against evaporation ofthe solutions and against splashing in handling of the container. To further provide a splashproof efi'ect, solution outlet 28 and equalize ing pressure pipe. 25 communicating with acid chamber 22 are preferably made to extend upwardly into the mixing chamber as shownin' the drawings.

In operation, in charging the device, cap

17 is removed and the acid and basic solutions are poured into their respective compartments 22 and 21 through the equalizing pressure pipes 24: and 25, the air trapped in the said compartments having passage through the solution outlets 22 "and 23. After charging, the cap is screwed on the thimble, and the container is then stored with the contents effectively sealed against the solutions flowing freely through the outlets 22 and 23 and upon admixture in chamber 20 generate a foam, part of which moves up in the equalizing pressure pipes, filling the now upper portions of the solution-compartments and equalizing the pressure of the generated foam on the solutions at the outlets of the compartments. The mixing chamber rapidly fills with the foam under pressure, which foam is now free without further mixing with the solutions to discharge from the nozzle 12on to the fire to be extinguished.

The mixture takes place gradually due to the regulated flow through the solution outlets, this preventing pressure strains in the container and this also resulting in a thorough mixture of the two solutions.

It will be apparent that I have thus pr ovi ded anefiicient receptacle or container made of durable and easily constructed and assembled parts, yielding an integral structure with no interior moving elements, thus securing a relatively/cheap product capable of simple, positive and efficient charging, storing, handling and discharging operations.

While I have shown my device in the preferredform, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A fire extinguishing apparatus adapted by inverting the apparatus for the comixing of chemical solutions to produce a fire extinguishing toam, including an integral conill-T tainer divided into a plurality of chambers comprising solution chambers, each provided with a solution outlet and an equalizing pressure inlet, and a mixing chamber communicating with the inlets and outlets of the said solution chambers.

2. A fire extinguishing apparatus comprising an outer shell, a disk or plate attached interiorly to said shell, the said plate subdividing the shell into a topand bottom portion, a receptacle hung from the said plate, the said receptacle separating the bottom portion of the shell into two solution chambers, the upper portion of the shell defining a mixing chamber, orifices in said plate defining solution outlets for the said solution chambers and equalizing pressure inlets in said plate for both solution chambers.

3. A fire extinguishing apparatus comprising a container subdivided into a plurality of chambers including solution chambers each provided with a solution outlet and an equalizing pressure inlet and a mixing chamber communicating with the inlets and outlets of the solution chambers, said mixing chamber being provided with charging and discharging openings, and a closure for the charging opening.

a, A fire extinguishing apparatus comprising an outer shell, a disk or plate attached interiorly to said shell, the said plate subdividing the shell into a top and bottom portion, a receptacle hung from the said plate, the said receptacle separating the bottom portion of the shell into two solution chambers, the upper portion of the shell defining a mixing chamber, orifices in said plate defining solution outlets for the said solution chambers and equalizing pressure inlets in said plate for both solution chambers; said mixing chamber being provided with charging and discharging openings and a closure for the charging opening.

5. In a' fire extinguishing apparatus adapted to be rendered active by inversion of the apparatus, an integral container com prising solution chambers formed in the body of the container and having solution outlets and equalizing pressure inlets, and a mixing chamber formed in the top thereof and communicating with the inlets and outlets of the solution chambers, whereby upon inversion of the apparatus, the solutions will flow by gravity into the mixing chamber, there to generate fire extinguishing :toami 6. In a fire extinguishing apparatus, a container subdivided into a plurality of chambers comprising solution chambers formed in the body of the container and having solution outlets and equalizing pressure inlets, and a mixing chamber formed in the top of the container and communicating with the inlets and outlets of the solution chambers, said mixing chamber being provicled with charging and discharging openings, and a closure for the charging opening- 7. In a fire extinguishing apparatus adapted to be rendered active by inversion of the apparatus, an integral container comprising solution chambers formed in the body thereof and having solution outlets and a mixin chamber formed in the to thereoi communicating with said outlets, and equalizing pressure means connecting the mixing chamber with said solution chambers.

8. In a fire extinguishing apparatus adapted to be rendered active by the inversion of the apparatus, an integral container comprising solution chambers formed in the body thereof and having solution outlets and mixing chamber formed in the to thereof communicating with said outlets, and equalizing pressure means connecting the mixing chamber with the bottoms of said solution chambers.

9. In a fire extinguishing apparatus adapted to be rendered active by the inversion of the apparatus, an integral container comprising solution chambers formed in the body thereof and having solution outlets and a mixing chamber formed in the top thereof communicating with said outlets, and equalizing pressure means connecting the mixing chamber with the bottoms of said solution chambers, said means extending into the mixing chamber.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 10th day of November A. D. 1920.

ORLANDO R. ERWIN. 

